Dear Citizens,
It was a full and very busy May as we observed National Peace Officers Memorial Day, National Police Week, National Correctional Officers Week and Memorial Day. We appreciate and are grateful to everyone who participated with us in honoring, acknowledging and celebrating these special days.
A little piece of history about these observances: In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15th as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15th falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.
Thank you to all who joined us in celebrating those who protect and serve us every minute of every day and honoring the courageous officers who devoted themselves so fully to others that in the process they laid down their lives.
"Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." -John 15:13
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan signed Proclamation 5187, creating "National Correctional Officers’ Week." Each year, the first full week in May is recognized as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week, commemorating the contributions of correctional officers and personnel who work in jails, prisons, and community corrections across the country.
The services provided by the dedicated and hard working men and women of corrections are vital to every community.
I'd like to give the recognition and thanks due to the families of these correctional officers as well as these men and women are also husbands, wives, mothers and fathers who often have to miss school activities, holidays, weekends and other activities with their families because of the job.
To our correctional officers thank you for your dedication and commitment to our community as I very much appreciate each and every one of you and the service you provide daily.
In observance of National Nurses Week, we also recognized our Southern Health Partners correctional nurses Linda Hullett and Evelyn Heilmann. We certainly appreciate the job they do for us at the NCSO.
Memorial Day is a day to honor those heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It is for those who have given their lives so that we may live ours. It is also to honor the families of the fallen who have served and sacrificed with our nation's heroes.
I'd like to express my gratitude to all the men and women who fought for our freedoms and to their families who will never cease missing them or the void that is left by their absence. I hope as you went about enjoying not only your long holiday weekend, but each day, you take some time to think about, honor, give thanks and show gratitude for the sacrifices that were made. Because without them, you wouldn’t experience the freedoms you have and more often than not, unconsciously take for granted.
I can’t stress enough what the kindness and thoughtfulness that was shown to us during National Police Memorial Week meant to us. It was sincerely appreciated. As law enforcement officers, we understand and accept that on any given day, fulfilling our duty, may require us to lay down our life. But not only did we take an oath to serve and protect, we also take pride in serving the citizens of our county and state. Again, thank you to all those who called, came by or acknowledged our officers with your kind words and thoughtful gestures.
I am always proud of the men and women in our Honor and Color Guards and was again as they participated in the Memorial Day program this year at Woodland Memorial Cemetery. Being present on Memorial Day to display and give exactly what the day, and all it means, should be given and deserves. Honor, respect and recognition to all those who did and sacrificed so much. I also want to say thank you to the Eureka Cemetery Association for inviting me and my wife to their Annual Memorial Day picnic. I was very honored to be asked to come speak and to share in their annual event. We thoroughly enjoyed the chance to see some familiar faces and speak with a few folks.
This month I was proud to see that fallen DART Officer Brent Thompson was Posthumously Awarded the Medal of Valor. I am very proud of this former Navarro County Deputy. I am also proud to say Brent was my friend and this award was well deserved.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office was represented at the 33rd Annual Texas Jail Association Conference in Austin. Captain Charlie York, Anthony Larremore, Corporal Adam Hollifield, Arron Cottongame, Paul Wilson, and Lieutenant Raychaun Ballard attended this year’s training conference. This conference is a great opportunity for our officers to get valuable training on current hot topics in the corrections industry, network with other correctional officers from across Texas and meet with vendors to review the newest tools in the correction industry.
The NCSO and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted joint firearms qualifications in May at the NCSO range. Numerous agencies participated over the two-day event including CISD Police, Navarro College Police, Dawson Police, Navarro County District Attorney’s Investigator, Rice ISD Police and Navarro County Constables. The firearms proficiency training is required annually by the state but we conduct firearms proficiency training semiannually. Thank you to NCSO Firearms Instructors Sgt. Jeff Harbuck and Sgt. Robbie Jock as well as DPS Sgt. Thomas Moore. All ensured training was safely conducted and proficiency was maintained.
This month the Navarro County Sheriff’s Office received two reports from two different victims who received phone calls from a banking institution stating they had fraudulent activity on their account. The caller already has their full banking account and credit card information and sounds legitimate when trying to verify the information. Once they confirm the account information, the victim’s accounts are being used and money withdrawn. The phone number used shows to be the actual bank contacting the victim but that number is being spoofed and the call is not being made from the actual bank. Be very careful of this fraudulent activity. I cannot stress this enough, DO NOT be a victim. Please do not give out or confirm your personal information by phone. Hang up and call your financial institution to verify if you have had any fraudulent activity on your account.
Our Deputies wear many hats. Some duties have even called for a cowboy hat as we worked the cattle at our county farm were worked making sure all were wormed, tagged, vaccinated and age identified. Our inmates were also utilized as part of the labor crew (trustees) and in turn are teaching them a trade (ranching) in the process. Thankful to have had a beautiful day to get the necessary work done.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office has added another new piece of technology by purchasing an additional drone that will be added to our current drone program.
The MAVIC 2 ENTERPRISE DRONE is equipped with a FLIR camera, spotlight, beacon strobe light and speaker that will allow the pilot to speak to a lost or missing person or give voice commands to a suspect if necessary. Some of the benefits of the new drone are found in the preflight diagnostics which allow the drone to be airborne far quicker and due to its smaller compact size, it can also be flown indoors if necessary. The new drone was 100% fully funded by utilizing the drug seizure fund. This simply means that our taxpayers did not have to pay a penny toward the purchase. The funds used to obtain this drone were from money previously seized from a drug dealer.
Navarro County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested a suspect wanted on 20 felony counts of child pornography. Criminal Investigation Division Lieutenant Clint Andrews and Sergeant Rickey Ragan arrested the suspect without incident at a residence in the 5000 block of FM 3041 Corsicana which is located in the Roane community. The suspect was wanted on 10 counts of possession with intent to promote child pornography which is a second degree felony and 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a third degree felony.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team worked a barricaded person call on South Garrity street in Frost. The barricaded person SWAT call in Frost was successfully resolved with one suspect in custody. The suspect had outstanding felony warrants for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon family violence and assault family violence impeding breath. Once on scene, the suspect threatened to shoot law enforcement and SWAT was deployed. A great job by all officers to resolve this dangerous situation.
The suspect in the multiple victim stabbing incident on NW 4190 near Frost was arrested by the NCSO. Our officers did a great job during this investigation in piecing together the evidence and ultimately resulted in obtaining arrest warrants for the suspect. The suspect was arrested on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Job well done to Lieutenant Andrews and to all other officers who worked this case.
The Navarro County Sheriff’s Office, along with units from the Waxahachie Fire and Rescue dive team, conducted a recovery operation on a reported vehicle in the water at the FM 2859 boat ramp of Richard Chambers Reservoir. The recovered vehicle was reported stolen in December 2018 to the Plano Police Department. Thanks again Waxahachie Fire and Rescue for your assistance and professionalism.
I, along with Lieutenant Ballard and other members of the NCSO, had the pleasure of attending the Navarro College Police Academy Commencement for Basic Peace Officer Class #108. It was an honor pinning the badge on Deputy Morales for her first time as a certified peace officer. We are proud of Deputy Morales, congratulate her and wish her well along with the other graduates of class #108.
We welcome Jerry Bennett to the NCSO and wish him the best as he begins his new career as a Detention Officer.
The Sheriff's Office had approximately 3,025 calls for service in May and our Dispatch received 2,040 calls for assistance to 9-1-1. There were approximately 225 persons arrested and booked into the Navarro County Justice Center and the average daily jail population was 253 inmates. The Narcotics Unit arrested thirteen suspects, filed seven criminal cases and served twenty seven outstanding arrest warrants.
Fourteen inmates were transferred to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and ten other inmates were transferred to State Jail and SAFP Units to serve their sentences. This month we estrayed nine cows and two horses and transported them to our county farm at Petty’s Chapel. We sold seventeen horses and one donkey at the Elkhart Horse Sale for $4,017 as well as collected $905 in estray fees
We had one resignation this month and we are currently accepting applications for vacancies in the dispatch and detention division. As in the past, applications will continue to be taken for any vacancy until the position is filled.
“Ceremonies are very important. But our gratitude has to be more than just visits to the troops and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We can honor the dead best by treating the living well.” -Jennifer Granholm
As always, God bless and be safe,
Sheriff Elmer Tanner